Monday, June 22, 2020

NAHL Day 18 - Sept-Iles goes headhunting again


Moosehead brand beer is popular in Nova Anglicana, image credit to Beer Connoisseur

Sept-Iles takes down a second straight high-level opponent, two high-scoring games, and two of the "big three" take advantage of the other's misfortune.

DC Oilers 2, Sept-Iles Whalers 3: Another day, another upset pulled by the Sept-Iles Whalers. After taking down the top team in the league, Isca Town, they defeat the number two team, the DC Oilers. This could be the start of something for the Whalers. They have struggled to build momentum this year, but they're now in seventh place, three points behind a slumping Eboracum team. DC struck first on an Owen Jones wrister, but Denis Babin answered back before the end of the first to tie the game. They exchanged goals in the second before the pivotal third period. DC's Wally McMillan was whistled for interference, and the Whalers went on the power-play attack. They cycled the puck through a few times before the Oilers' defense seemingly got a little tired, and Gaston Fortin took the opportunity to shoot, lightning-quick, and squeeze the puck past Ted Carpenter for the winning goal at 16:38 of the third. The home loss dropped the Oilers to third place, and every point counts in what is sure to be a tight playoff race. 

Newfield Rangers 5, Portus Abonae Privateers 5 (6-5 OT): Believe it or not, this is the second consecutive 6-5 loss for Portus Abonae. They hosted DC last time out, and had backup netminder Will Boone in net, while this time they traveled to Newfield with their starter, "Rusty" Barbour, but they got the same result. Newfield led 2-1 and 3-2 at the end of the first and second period before coming away with the 6-5 OT win, and Teddy Clegg, the head coach was disappointed with their third period effort. "You have to give credit to Brady [Dowell] for scoring two and getting the winner there in OT, but I thought we had a chance, up two, to put it away midway through the third. We just didn't get it done. We'll have to shape up on defense." The Privateers have now lost five straight and are alone in 10th place; the team's front office is purportedly considering a shakeup to fix the league-worst defense and try to inject some life into the team. The Rangers are only 2-7 in their last nine games, but two wins in three games is a sign of life as they try to claw back to mid-table status.

Vinovium Lumberjacks 5, Mancunium Raiders 6: Turns out the Lumberjacks were just what the doctor ordered for the Raiders, who snapped a four-game losing streak on the road with an offensive explosion. Quinn Baird, Todd Hagan, and Brandon Scanlon (twice) scored in a veritable barrage of first-period goals. With a 4-0 lead after one period, it was amazing that the game ended so closely. The Lumberjacks narrowed the deficit to 5-3 after two periods, but Matt Harmon scored for the Raiders to make it 6-3, and Kevin Morgan's goal at 19:54 was just too late to make a difference. For Mancunium, this was a much-needed win going into a tough matchup against Isca Town. For Vinovium, at least the goal-scoring was encouraging, even if the game wasn't terribly competitive. Simon Barnett will get the start in net for Vinovium next.

Isca Town Captains 3, Eboracum Sharpshooters 1: Isca Town's feathers weren't ruffled by the upset going on DC. In fact, they enjoyed it. "When we heard that [DC and Sept-Iles] were locked in a tight battle, it just made us feel that much better," said defenseman Jason Gross. "Any chance we get to pick up a point or two on them is crucial." The Sharpshooters have now lost four of their past five games, and they didn't look competitive against the Captains. Jonathan Barnes, Gross, and Shaun Webster had a goal each in the three periods, and the Captains outshot and outpossessed the Sharpshooters. Isca Town is the first team to fifteen wins, remains in first place, and will travel to Mancunium next. Eboracum is in danger of slipping back into the bottom half of the league, but righting the ship against DC next will be a challenge.

Labrador Caribou 1, Pons Aelius Steelers 2: Stopping Labrador's suddenly surging offense was a point of emphasis for the Steelers coming into the game. Dirk Ziegler, Pons Aelius' leading d-man, said, "Coach [Porter Herman] said they were finding a lot of open spaces and getting good shots on goal. So we were determined to clog the offensive zone and not give them any space." And they did. Caribou forwards found little room to operate and were not able to generate much offense. The Steelers made good use of all sorts of checks to dispossess and harass their opponents, and found enough offense with a power-play goal and a wicked slap shot to come away with the 2-1 win. With the win, the Steelers now leap into second place and remain one point behind Isca Town. Labrador has fallen back into fifth and will try to bounce back against Newfield.

Londinium Royals 2, Aquae Sulis Bears 1: Don't look now, but the Royals are two points back of DC for third place. Could the "big three" clustered at the top be in danger? With DC's loss, and Londinium's home win over Aquae Sulis, the Oilers are on 28 points and the Royals on 26. The Oilers' two wins over the Royals are what's keeping them from being tied or reversed at this point. But DC is sitting on a goal differential of +15, more than double the Royals' +7. Have the Royals been lucky? Eric Benson wouldn't say so. "We really played well out there tonight," the Royals winger said after their win over Aquae Sulis. "We played together, and I think that's been the key to our recent play." Londinium has won five straight, while the Bears have lost three in a row. Aquae Sulis will try to stop the slide against Vinovium next. 

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